As many of you know, I spend every Wednesday evening with a group of "college age students" and we are currently reading through the Bible and getting an overview of what the Bible is all about!
So, we are currently in Leviticus. This is not an easy book to study but we are finding that all of Scripture points us to Christ (just as Jesus said). The book deals so much with "holiness", "sacrifices", things that are "clean and unclean".
So, here is a quick summary of lessons we are learning from Leviticus:
1. We praise God that all those O.T sacrifices were just a "picture" of what would come and that Christ is the Fulfillment of all of those sacrifices. Hebrews 8:1-6 says, "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, 'see that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.' But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises."
2. Leviticus also teaches us that God cares about how He is worshiped! Not just that we worship God, but "how" we worship. We cannot approach God however we please. It is a serious thing to worship God and we must come on His terms! Therefore, we better be serious about learning His Word because that is the place we get instructions on "who God is" and "how we are to approach Him". Not approaching God rightly is sin. And not knowing, or ignorance is no excuse for sin. So, we must take getting in His Word seriously so we know how to approach God and worship Him rightly!
3. Finally, we see that "everything" matters to God! When God calls us to live "holy", He means in "every area" of our lives. Every phase of our lives is to be lived in such a way that we are pleasing to Him.
So in conclusion, we challenged ourselves by asking this question:
- Does being a christian truly affect everything about my life? Do I have any areas (closets) that I exclude from God??
I hope that you have a plan for reading God's Word this year...and whatever it is, may I encourage you to stay with it and see how God will use it to help each of us grow in wisdom and godliness!
